IPL 2020: 3 impact players for Chennai Super Kings
The recent outbreak of the deadly disease COVID-19 around the world has led to cancellation or postponement of several sporting events across the globe. Even the ones that are going on are being organised behind closed doors with no spectators to control the spread of the pandemic. The Indian Premier League (IPL) has also got affected and it is expected that the tournament will commence after 15 April 2020, having moved from the initially planned date of 29 March 2020.
Last year's finalists Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will begin their campaign against defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) in the opening match. Here is a glimpse at CSK’s troop for the upcoming season.
Squad for IPL 2020: Narayan Jagadeesan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KM Asif, Ravindra Jadeja, Murali Vijay, MS Dhoni, Josh Hazlewood, Kedar Jadhav, Harbhajan Singh, Karn Sharma, Piyush Chawla, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Faf du Plessis, Shardul Thakur, Mitchell Santner, Dwayne Bravo, Lungi Ngidi, Sam Curran, Monu Kumar, Shane Watson, Sai Kishore
The Chennai franchise made some impressive acquisitions during the 2019 auctions IN December, securing the services of fantastic players like Sam Curran and Josh Hazlewood. They already have one of the strongest Indian cores in their squad. On that note, here are three players from their squad who have the potential to be match-winners this season.
#3 Ravindra Jadeja
Enigmatic all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is an integral part of CSK's line-up. He provides balance to the side by giving an option of four decent overs while bowling, apart from using the long handle while chasing or finishing the innings. He is widely regarded as one of the best fielders of this generation and saves precious runs in the field in every match.
Jadeja has been in good form recently and has been a regular in the Indian side across formats. His breathtaking knock (77 off 59 balls) against New Zealand in the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup where he almost took India home in the run-chase acted as the point of resurgence in his career. His confidence skyrocketed after that innings and he has looked like a different player since then. He will have to play a crucial role if CSK were to have a successful season.
#2 MS Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the leading run-scorer (416 runs) for CSK during the previous edition of IPL. Dhoni turned back the clock and displayed his vintage hitting skills as he took his team to the final. Going into IPL 2019, his abilities were doubted by fans and critics alike. He proved all of them wrong by playing some quick-fire, match-winning innings and finished games in his patented cool style. His captaincy coupled with his brilliant keeping and batting makes him the most indispensable and influential member of this team.
#1 Lungi Ngidi
Lungi Ngidi is one of the most promising fast bowlers in world cricket currently. He possesses great control and can swing the ball at high speeds. He has the ability to curtail the run flow and pick up wickets during the powerplay.
He will share the death bowling responsibilities alongside Deepak Chahar and Dwayne Bravo in this XI. He has variations like the yorker, slower balls, and a mean bouncer in his arsenal to contain the runs during the slog overs. During CSK's victorious campaign in 2018, Ngidi played a quintessential role with the ball. The team management will be hoping for similar match-winning performances from him during the upcoming season.